Kelly featured in Middlebury College Convocation Address

Over the weekend, the new President of Middlebury College, Laurie L. Patton, gave her Convocation Address to incoming Freshman. In it, Pres. Patton told of her introduction to Kelly at the 10th Annual Kelly Brush Century Ride the week prior:

“Let me tell you a final story that is about resilience, and remaining awake, in body, mind, and spirit. I just learned it this past Saturday. It is about the annual Kelly Brush Century Ride, hosted by Middlebury. Middlebury student Kelly Brush, Class of 2008, sustained a spinal cord injury while competing for the Middlebury College alpine ski team in 2006 as a sophomore. Instead of giving up and resigning herself to a life of immobility, she continued to ski with the team from her new perspective of a wheelchair, and went on to become a nurse practitioner.”

She went on to tell the story of how the Middlebury College Ski Team started the Kelly Brush Ride to support their injured teammate and how the Middlebury community at large embraced, and was inspired by, Kelly. We’re honored and appreciative that this experience was one of the strongest testaments to the strength of the Middlebury College community.

Here’s the whole address and the excerpt about Kelly copied belowe. Thank you Pres. Patton, we’re excited to have you and Middlebury as a partner!